Walnut tree

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct, very productive tree which produces walnuts which are nearly elliptical in shape; being round in cross section. The kernel averages about 59 percent.

This invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of walnut tree,botanical classification Juglans regia. The original tree grew from aseed from the University of California Walnut Breeding Program, in 1966.

A continuous walnut breeding program has been maintained by theUniversity of California from 1948 to the present. In 1965, pistillateflowers of the cultivar Lompoc were bagged and pollinated with pollenfrom Pl 159568. This selection, U.C. 66-4, grew from one of theresulting seeds, therefore, the parents of this selection are Lompoc andPl 159568. Lompoc, had been released as a cultivar from the Universityof California Walnut Breeding Program by E. F. Serr and Harold I. Fordein 1968. Lompoc resulted from crossing Waterloo × Payne in 1951. Pl159568 had been brought into this country from Afghanistan, by the U.S.Bureau of Plant Introduction.

Thirty-one seedlings of the cross Lompoc × Pl 159568 were established inthe test orchard on the campus of the University of California, Davis.The resulting seedlings were maintained under careful and continuousobservation. When such seedlings bore fruit, one (the instant cultivar)evidenced novel and commercially desirable characteristics and wasselected for asexual reproduction to permit further testing and possibleintroduction to the trade.

After its origin, as above, the cultivar named "Sunland" was asexuallyreproduced by top grafting on trees of the two common rootstocks,Northern California black walnut, Juglans hindsii, and Paradox, J.hindsii × J. regia, in the University of California (Department ofPomology) experimental orchard. Subsequently, it was also asexuallypropagated by grafting in test plots in some of the walnut growing areasof California. The tests evidenced that the trees, leaves, buds, andfruit resulting from such reproductions all ran true to the parent treesin every respect.

FIG. 1 illustrates a nut in the shell, typical of the new variety.

FIG. 2 illustrates the nut in cross section and also a longitudinal viewof the nut with half the shell removed.

FIG. 3 illustrates kernel halves of the nut of the new variety.

This new and distinct variety of walnut tree produces high percentkernel which varies from 56 to 61 percent with an average of about 59percent. The nut shell is thin and very well filled and sealed, havingplump kernels of good quality. Primary use of the fruit of this varietywould be for shelling and sale as kernels. As will be seen from thebotanical description, the nut has good shell color, bleach ability,good shell seal, and smoothness of shell, thereby also making thiscultivar suitable for sale of nuts in the shell.

It is understood that the tree and fruit of the new cultivar may vary inslight detail due to climatic and soil conditions under which it isgrown but without loss of its distinguishing characteristics.

The new and distinct cultivar of walnut is characterized by itsspreading growth, moderate vigor and early and heavy production. Nearlyall shoots from terminal buds and about 80 percent of the shoots fromthe axillary buds produce pistillate flowers. The time when growthcommences is about the same as the start of growth for Payne and thenuts are ready for harvesting about two or three days after Hartley.

Of the walnut cultivars now in use, only Lompoc commences growth asearly as the present variety, is ready to harvest as late and has asmany flowers on shoots from axillary buds. However, Lompoc, the femaleparent of this selection, differs greatly from the present variety inrespect to nut shape and quality. The nut of the present variety iselliptical in longitudinal section and round in cross section. The apexof the nut has a small beak-shaped point and the shell is thin, lightcolored, smooth and very well sealed. In well-grown lots of nuts most ofthe kernels are light colored with some light amber and amber. Asstated, kernel percent has averaged about 59 percent.

The botanical details of this new and distinct cultivar are as follows:

Tree.--Size, medium (similar to Ashley or Payne); vigor, moderatelyvigorous; growth, somewhat spreading tree, tending to be as wide as itis tall and with a round top; production, very productive; bearing,early regular bearer.

Trunk and branches.--Like most other J. regia. Old bark light gray andsmooth, very old bark probably roughens as it does in other walnuts. Newshoots have green bark which turns brown as the season progresses, likeother walnuts.

Leaves.--Leaves are pinnately compound with 5 to 9 leaflets per leaf.Leaves are green with lower surface being lighter green than the top.

Leaves vary in length from about 25 to 48 cm., averaging about 38 cm.Leaflets vary in length from about 5 to 19 cm., averaging about 15 cm.and in width from about 3 to 11 cm., averaging about 8 cm. The basalleaflets are smaller with the terminal leaflet and the leaflets next toit being the largest.

Leaflet shape is elongated ovate to nearly elliptical. Leaflets haveacute apices and bases of leaflets are mostly rounded with some uneven.Uneven bases have the blade on one side of the mid-rib 2 to 5 mm.farther from the rachis than it is on the other side. Leaf texture,smooth; margin, smooth; and venation, pinnate.

Start of growth and leafing dates are early, having been zero to fivedays after Payne, averaging about one or two days after Payne.

Inflorescence.--The cultivar is very precocious, young grafted treeshaving produced pistillate flowers at two years of age and catkins atthree. About 80 percent of the axillary (lateral) buds producepistillate flowers.

Full bloom of pistillate flowers has been 25 to 38 days after leafingdate of Payne, averaging 32 days. First pollen shedding has been six to18 days after leafing date of Payne with the average being 11 days. Lastpollen shedding has been 23 to 28 days after Payne leafing with anaverage of 25 days. Calendar dates in 1976 were pistillate full bloom,April 18; first pollen shed March 22; and last pollen shed April 14. Thetrees have produced many catkins. Most flowering tips have twopistillate flowers, some have three, a few have one and a few have morethan three. There is nothing distinctive about the form or color of themale or female flowers as they are similar to most other walnut flowers.

The fruit.--The green fruit before it is ready to harvest is ellipticalin longitudinal section and round in cross section. The hull is greenwith small lenticels and is of about average thickness, the hull issimilar in appearance and thickness to the hull of the Payne variety.

The nut.--The shape of the nut in longitudinal section is ellipticalwith a small beak-shaped point at the apical end, the cross section isround. An average well-grown nut would have a length of about 45 mm., asuture diameter of about 35 mm. and a cheek diameter of about 35 mm.

The nut shell is medium light colored and is quite smooth, having smalllongitudinal grooves and some small pits.

The kernel color refers to standard U.S. Department of Agriculturegrading chart.

The nut shell is thin, very well filled and well sealed. The kernel isplump. In 1976, a 500 gr. random sample from the plot at Davis contained29 nuts and, based on total in-shell weight, had 47 percent light, 6percent light amber, 7 percent amber and no off-grade for a total of 60percent kernel. Percent light in other samples has varied from about 36percent to 58 percent, with an average of about 48 percent. Percentkernel has varied from about 56 to 61 percent with an average of about59 percent.

Harvest.--Nuts of this cultivar are ready to harvest about 16 days afterPayne which is about two or three days later than Hartley and about thesame time as Lompoc.

I claim:
 1. The new and distinct cultivar of walnut tree hereindescribed and illustrated and characterized by its spreading growth,moderate vigor, heavy production and mid-season harvest; said varietyhaving its start of growth and leafing about the same time as Payne anda harvest time about the same as Lompoc, namely about two or three daysafter Hartley and 16 days after Payne; said variety being furthercharacterized by the production of pistillate flowers on nearly allshoots from terminal buds and on about 80 percent of shoots fromaxillary buds; said variety being primarily characterized by its nut thekernel of which is light in color with some light amber and amber; saidnut being elliptical in longitudinal section, round in cross section andhaving a nut apex which terminates in a small beak-shaped point; saidvariety also being characterized by its nut shell, which is thin, lightcolored, smooth and well filled and sealed.